Vehicle

2013 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl 6A)

Review

I practically researched the following small SUV's before settling down for the CX-5:
1. Mazda CX-5
2. 2013 Rav 4 Limited Edition 4WD
3. 2013 Honda CRV EX-L with Navi - 4WD
4. Acura RDX 2WD with Tech Package
5. Infiniti EX 37
6. Ford Escape
I test drove all the above, some even multiple times to cross compare.
There were others on my list which I did not test drive:
1. Buick - Encore
2. Chevy - Traverse
3. Jeep - Grand Cherokee. (The new small version was still not out)
Finally, settled for CX-5 more from a value for money, fun to drive aspect. I have a blue color CX-5, AWD, GT, Tech Pack.

Best Features

Most Favorite features are:
1. Blind Spot Monitor - It is really the best I tested among the others. RAV4 has it. Honda CRV and Acura RDX have forgotten about it
2. Fantastick Handling on the road
3. Fun to drive even in the city. Great handling on the freeway and fantastic steering response. It is really far better than the RAV4 sport mode.
4. Rear Seat space - When compared to the others in the list, the seats are flat
5. Rear Seat belt position for center installation of car seat
6. Simple and nice instrument cluster and center console design
7. Bose Audio system - It rocks
8. The Engine and Transmission is simply superb.

Worst Features

1. Power Liftgate - High time that Mazda considers this to compete against the escape and rav-4
2. Smart City Brake - I wonder whether it really works. I dont think i can risk to rear end another vehicle to test if this works
3. Add a Mode Button to the steering wheel to change between different audio sources. How did Mazda forget this?
4. A mirror to watch the kids at the back - Honda CRV has this
5. Seat Memory - RAV-4 Has this.
6. Bigger Sunglass Holder. Wonder which sunglass fits in this small space.
7. Bluetooth does not list songs from the phone. A SW upgrade should be able to do this.